Israel steps up war on Gaza despite US calls for calm: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza yesterday as his military mounted what one journalist on the ground described as the “most intense airstrikes since the beginning of the war.” Reports from the ground in Gaza are scarce after Israel once again cut all communications in the territory, but Palestinian media reported continued bombardment of northern Gaza and the Israeli military said it had completely encircled Gaza City.

Israeli troops will enter Gaza City within the coming 48 hours, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters. He was speaking less than 48 hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Tel Aviv in a bid to persuade Israeli officials to agree to a so-called “humanitarian pause” and reduce the intensity of the bombing — reportedly by asking them to use “smaller bombs.”

GLOBAL PRESSURE- Israel is facing mounting global pressure to temper its assault, with even its closest allies such as the US now banging the drum for a humanitarian pause — and a growing list of countries reducing diplomatic ties in protest at the violence. Protests against the war have continued to grow around the world, with mns of people taking to the streets on Saturday, including in Washington, DC, European capitals, Turkey and Jakarta.

ON THE GROUND-

  • Death toll: Almost 9.8k Palestinians, including at least 4k children, have been killed by Israeli airstrikes over the past month, while over 24k have been wounded.
  • Israel continued to prevent wounded Gazans from crossing the border to receive medical treatment in Egypt and in turn Hamas delayed the evacuation of foreign nationals a second day.

BLINKEN ON TOUR-

The US secretary of state continued his whirlwind tour of the region yesterday in an attempt to build support for a “humanitarian pause” in the fighting and temper Arab anger with the administration’s full-throated support for Israel’s war.

Arab and Israeli officials are both rejecting the idea of a pause. Arab countries (here and here) are demanding an unconditional immediate end to the violence, while Israel is refusing to pause its military campaign until Hamas releases the hostages.

Blinken is in Turkey today before heading to Tokyo, Seoul, and New Delhi.

ALSO- Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry talked with his Turkish counterpart ahead of Blinken’s visit, while President Abdel Fattah El Sisi had phone conversations with EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

BORDER TENSIONS RISE-.

Hezbollah warned Israel it will “pay the price” after several Lebanese children died in an Israeli airstrike yesterday. The group responded by firing rockets at a northern Israeli town. Hezbollah’s main backer Iran threatened to “hit hard” at US forces if it did not broker a ceasefire. This came as Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

The bottom line: Though many around the world greeted Nasrallah’s nothingburger on Friday with a sigh of relief, the longer the conflict persists and the deeper the Israelis go into Gaza, the higher the likelihood that violence spills over into neighboring countries.

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